Trademark is probably the most important indication: in everyday language, we usually call it a ’logo’ or a ’brand’. Trademark grants exclusive rights to the owner for the use of the mark. The most important characteristic of the inventive trademark is that the consumers are able to recognize and connect the goods and services with the owner of the mark. Most people think about word marks or device marks, however, nowadays there is a wide range of possibilities: two-or three dimensional forms, light signals, holograms, patterns, colours, positions signs and combinations thereof can be protected.
Trademark is a popular industrial property form due to its economic nature and to the fact that it can be renewed for ten years an indefinite number of times. The latter is without doubt an advantageous characteristic compared to other industrial property forms, whose protection lapse after a certain time. A good trademark can represent great value in the course of time: the most valuable trademarks of the present (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Apple) are estimated to ten billions of dollars each (for example Google 44,3 billions of dollars).
It is advisable to protect the sign before the effective market access in order to avoid later legal disputes. Before filing the trademark application, we conduct trademark search in order to double-check whether there are similar existing signs on the market. Trademark search is essential as there are millions of registered trademarks only in the territory of the European Union. In case of a not very sophisticated word mark, there is a high chance of opposition later.
I represent my Clients in the following services:
Trademark search and trademark application concerning national and European Union marks
International and foreign trademark search and trademark applications via partners
Trademark monitoring
Representation in trademark infringement procedures
Preparation of trademark license agreements
Management of trademark portfolios
Representation in customs procedures.